Parish Health

NEW!   EVERY DAY IN MAY PROGRAM

The Health & Wellness Committee presents the Every Day in May Program!

Running May 1-31, 2024, this initiative invites individuals to embark on diverse activities of their choosing, accumulating points for a chance to become the Grand Winner.

Participants will engage in activities aligned with the program’s three pillars: Mind, Body, and Spirit. Each category offers a variety of daily actions, such as volunteer efforts, physical exercise, and spiritual practices; each assigned point values. Workshops will further enrich participants’ experiences.

Click Here to learn more about Every Day in May.

HEALTH & WELLNESS MINISTRY UPDATE

The Health and Ministry team provides support and assistance to our Parish Nurse, Elizabeth Vosburgh, and offer education programs to our parishioners and the wider-community. These programs foster the relationship between faith and health, and promote caring for the whole person: body, mind and spirit.

Currently, we meet on the 2nd Monday of each month at 2 pm and are committed to supporting parishioners and community members live a healthy and happy physical, emotional, and spiritual life. Your involvement and support are both encouraged and appreciated!

For more information about any of the programs outlined, please contact Elizabeth Vosburgh via the church office (905-372-3442) or speak with any of the Health and Wellness Ministry Team.

BARNABAS BEAR joins St. Peter’s   

Barnabas means ENCOURAGER and COMFORTER. Over the past 15 years, over 1000 bears have been given to young and old as a way of offering support and encouragement. St. Peter’s is delighted to participate and thanks Bea Rowe for introducing us to Barnabas.

If you know someone, young or more mature who needs comforting or encouragement, please take a bear from the basket in the hallway outside the Great Hall.  You can help this ministry by praying for those who are given bears.

Your donations of gently used bears are welcomed. Please leave your donations at the office so the bears can be blessed and then placed in the basket.  For more information, please talk with Bea Rowe before or after Sunday service.

You can also learn more about Bea and Barnabas by clicking here to view her interview by Pete Fisher on his TodaysNorthumberland website.

DO YOU or SOMEONE YOU KNOW NEED SUPPORT ?

Support … meals … transportation … wellness programs … in-home support are all just a phone call away:

Call  COMMUNITY CARE NORTHUMBERLAND    1-866-514-5774

Their office is located at 1301 Ontario St. Cobourg, On, K9A 0N3

Their website is at https://commcare.ca/

Community Care Northumberland (CCN)

Established in 1988, Community Care Northumberland is a not-for-profit organization that provides nutrition, transportation, wellness, in-home and hospice services to residents of Northumberland County.

Their programs and services help seniors, adults with disabilities, those recovering from illness or injury and hospice clients and their loved ones and caregivers remain independent and supported in their own homes and communities.

Here is a summary of some of the programs that might be of interest to parishioners:

Nutrition Services – Meals on Wheels
  • Hot Meals on Wheels: Entrée delivered over the lunch hour in Cobourg area and Port Hope area on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
  • Frozen Meals on Wheels: Entrees, soups, desserts and breakfast snacks.
Transportation Services
  • Accessible Service – Transportation in government-provided accessible vehicle, on request.
  • Rural Transportation Routes – Transportation in government-provided vehicle from rural locations to urban locations, on request.
  • Volunteer Driving – Volunteer drivers provide transportation using their personal vehicle, on request.
Wellness Services
  • Friendly Visiting
  • Telephone Checks
  • Wellness Programs
  • Exercise Classes
  • Personal Distress Alarms (PDA) Lending Program
In-Home Services
  • Home at Last – Transition service from hospital to home on day of discharge.
  • Home Help – Assists clients with routine household activities. There is a cost to this service, paid directly to the worker.

For more detailed information on these services, visit the CCN website at commcare.ca or view the CCN Services Brochure by CLICKING HERE.

Prayer at St. Peter’s

St. Peter’s maintains a PRAYER LIST and a team of parishioners prays regularly for those in need. If you or someone you know would benefit from our prayers, phone the church office, (905) 372-3442 or send an email to info@stpeterscobourg.org with your request. Please note that when requesting prayer for someone else, permission must be received before adding a name to the church’s prayer list because some do not want their concerns made public. A volunteer will contact you to find out the name of the person, the reason for the request, how long the name should be on the list and if the person would like to receive telephone prayer support.

Currently, our Prayer group meets in-person on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each month at 11:00 a.m.in the Chapel. Members attend as they are able. Prayers for the people on our St. Peter’s prayer list constitute a daily priority for each member.

Further, if you are interested in joining the Prayer Group, there are only two requirements: a willing spirit and an agreement to keep all requests and prayers confidential. If you have a desire to help with this important ministry, please contact Donna Brotherhood directly at donnabro1@gmail.com.

Thursday Morning Eucharist

This service, in the Chapel at 10 am on Thursday mornings, follows the Book of Common Prayer.  Following the service there is a time of fellowship in the Hutton Room (spring, summer, fall) or the Library (winter).  Coffee, tea and treats are available. Friendly conversation is helping to refresh our spirits and to build connections.

Please join us. All are welcome.

Prayer Shawl Ministry

The Prayer Shawl Ministry mission is to knit/crochet lovingly-crafted shawls which are then blessed and presented to the sick, elderly, bereaved and newly baptized.

Would you like to have your very own prayer shawl? Do you know someone who would benefit from receiving one?   Feeling the love and healing presence of God in your daily life can bring peace and comfort. Recently, a thank you note was received from a thankful recipient of a prayer shawl.

“Dear Ladies of St. Peter’s,

          Thank you for the lovely prayer shawl and your caring thoughts. Currently I am in remission and very grateful. May God be with you. 

Sincerely…”

Over the past 10 years, hundreds of prayer shawls, baby blankets, lap rugs, hats, and mittens have been distributed around the community.

Our knitters and crocheters continue to craft exquisite offerings and we have a plentiful supply of blessed prayer shawls available to share.  Prayer shawls are freely available to all.  You can pick one up to take on to a family member or a friend. The Prayer Shawl surrounds you with God’s love and is meant to bring comfort and peace.

If you would like a prayer shawl for yourself, a family member or friend, contact the church office.  You can also ask anyone on the Health and Wellness team to assist you in getting a prayer shawl.

If you love to knit or crochet and you need a project to keep your hands and your mind busy, please join the small group of faithful who knit and crochet at home. or are part of KNIT and NATTER.  They have been busy making prayer shawls, lap rugs, and baby blankets for the H&W Team and parishioners to distribute.   All contributions are gratefully received and then blessed during a Eucharist service on Thursday morning.

If you are interested in participating, leave your name at the office and Fran Richardson will contact you. We have a large supply of wool and funds to purchase more.  We need your talent, skill and willingness to get involved in sharing the love and comfort that receiving a prayer shawl offers.

Pastoral Care

Pastoral Care ministry is considered one of the most vital ministries at St. Peter’s. Since Cobourg has long been a favourite retirement community, many members of the church are either confined to their own homes or reside in nursing homes or one of the retirement residences.

The group holds regular meetings with the parish nurse and the clergy as resource people to share information, provide mutual support, and to participate in educational programs to strengthen their skills for this ministry. Many members of the team report that their involvement in this ministry has been extremely rewarding and many of those visited report how much they appreciate the visits.

Reminder: Parishioners are reminded to let the clergy know, by phoning the church office 905-372-3442, when family members are ill in hospital. Occasionally parishioners who are admitted don’t give their denomination and are not on the “Anglican list”, so clergy have no way of knowing they are in hospital.